China's 'number one heartthrob' Huang Xiao Ming underwent an operation on his fractured toes in November. The 35-year-old was visited by as many as 1200 friends while he rested at home for a month after the surgery, and a photo of his injured foot started making rounds online recently. The image which showed his swollen foot and two centipede-shaped scars with the inserted nails and needles left many fans disturbed.

The actor fell from three metres above ground while filming a fighting scene for his new movie, The Bride With White Hair 3D and suffered a comminuted fracture (in which the bone breaks into a number of pieces) in two toes on his left foot. The operation was done to insert intramedullary nails (also known as IM nail that is used to treat fractures) into his fractured toes.

It is reported that the needles in Xiao Ming's foot will be removed tomorrow and it is expected to be extremely painful as anaesthesia will not be used during the procedure. He is due for a second surgery three months later, to take out the four nails in his foot, after which he is advised to stay on the bed for a month before he should start walking again.

However, he mentioned in a brief interview that he will resume filming for The Bride With White Hair 3D in a wheelchair next month. The action scenes will be done by a stand-in while he wraps up the close-up shots.'I feel really bad to let the entire production team wait for me,' he said.